Security news
Security news2 December 2004
Microsoft sues seven sex spammers, says Sophos
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| Microsoft has filed suits against sexually explicit spammers that violated the CAN-SPAM act. |
Microsoft has filed seven law suits against hackers who allegedly used innocent third-party PCs to send sexually explicit spam messages that violated rules set down by the USA's CAN-SPAM act and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The seven lawsuits have been filed in Washington State Superior Court in Seattle, against unidentified defendants. It is claimed that spammers violated federal laws and Washington State's Commerical Electronic Mail Act by sending spam email via compromised computers, and failing to include an unsubscribe option or physical mail address. It is alleged that hundreds of thousands of spam messages were sent.
"Just like explicit adult magazines sold in newsagents have to be covered by a brown paper bag, so hardcore emails have to be marked as such," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Obviously spammers don't want to do this as it makes the messages more obvious as spam - but this part of the CAN-SPAM act gives a good opportunity for legal action to be taken against the spamming community."
A recent study by Sophos revealed that the USA is the largest producer of spam in the world. Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can defend businesses from the threats of both spam and viruses.
"Everyone should ensure their computers are properly protected from spammers and virus writers," continued Cluley.
More details on the FTC's rules regarding labelling sexually explicit email can be found on the FTC's website.
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